Dr Helen Wright, former headteacher of St Mary’s in Calne, has left her new job in Australia after clashing with the senior team and some staff.

Dr Wright left St Mary’s last year for the Ascham School, a private girls’ school which has educated the daughters of many of Sydney’s leading business figures.

But last week a report in the Sydney Morning Herald said she would be leaving after just a year in charge, due to “significant differences in approach and style”.

The article said Dr Wright had impressed parents, but her plans for changes had led to clashes with senior staff.

She was recruited following a global search and a letter to parents said her contribution had been “extremely valuable”.

It said: “Differences in our respective expectations for the role of the headmistress in managing a school of this size and complexity on a daily basis emerged, combined with differences around the interpretation and application of school policies.”

Dr Wright stepped down from St Mary’s after almost a decade in charge, having lived in the grounds and brought up her children there.

In 2010, she hit the national headlines after giving birth to daughter Jessica and returning to work just seven hours later.

The school is now run by Felicia Kirk, who was in charge of the sixth form at Ipswich High School for Girls and is from Maryland, USA.